Taking action on farmworker housing

Some of them are living in permitted housing where farm operators have worked in good faith with the county, but farmworker advocates point out a significant number of workers are living in unpermitted trailers, recreational vehicles or homes that are designed for seasonal — not year-round — use.

The needs are so great for these folks and those needs don’t stop with housing. Access to basic medical care is certainly atop the list, along with the need for mental health services, especially in the wake of the shooting. I recently sent a letter to the governor and the leaders of the Senate and the Assembly, asking for $500,000 in emergency funds to pay for much-needed, culturally competent mental health services for the survivors of the Half Moon Bay tragedy.

For the last two years, I have been working with ALAS (www.alasdreams.com) and its amazing executive director, Dr. Belinda Hernandez Arrillaga, on how we can improve things for the farmworker community. Dr. Arrillaga, Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Joaquin Jimenez and Rita Mancera Hernandez, the head of Puente, which, like ALAS, focuses on helping farmworkers, have all called attention to the needs of farmworkers while decrying the lack of dedicated resources to improve their living conditions.

We have fought this battle before, when the county, led by then-Supervisor and current Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, got the Moonridge housing development built, providing 240 units for farmworkers. Now we need to mirror that success and do it on a much larger scale given the tremendous need. The county is developing a strategy to build more farmworker housing and I look forward to working with the Board of Supervisors and others to implement it.

To make this work, financial help needs to come from the state. Over the past two years, the state budgets have set aside a combined $280 million to build and rehabilitate farmworker housing, putting a priority on projects that help lower income households. Following the tragedy in Half Moon Bay, I spoke with the Assembly budget chairman about ensuring some of that funding comes to San Mateo County and, as a member of the Senate Budget Committee this year, I intend to work hard to ensure that happens.

Also, a new program led by Assemblymember Robert Rivas sets aside $25 million in low-income housing tax credits specifically to encourage developers to build farmworker housing projects. Working with assemblymembers Marc Berman and Diane Papan, I will continue to fight for more money for farmworker housing and ensure San Mateo County gets its share of that money.

The shooting in Half Moon Bay, was a tragedy no one could have envisioned, but it has galvanized many in the community to fight the injustices faced by farmworkers. We cannot bring back the lives lost, but we can honor their memory by working to ensure their families and co-workers have a safe and dignified place to call home. Let’s not turn a blind eye to this issue any longer — it’s time to take action and make a difference.

As Supervisor Mueller posted on social media after seeing the crime scene following the Half Moon Bay shootings, “Deplorable, heartbreaking living conditions … we must raise the quality of life of farm workers, NOW.”

Let’s get to work.

Josh Becker represents California’s 13th Senate District, which includes most of San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County.